Ronnie Wood shared a brief tribute to his longtime bandmate and friend Charlie Watts via his social media channels.

Wood shared a photo with Watts along with the caption, “I love you my fellow Gemini. I will dearly miss you. You are the best.”

Wood’s post to his social media channel are the first words of any kind from the surviving members of the Rolling Stones. Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards shared photo tributes to Watts yesterday, but they weren’t accompanied by any sort of statement.

Watts passed away yesterday (August 24) at the age of 80. His cause of death has not been confirmed, but per the statement announcing his death, “He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.”

Watts joined the Rolling Stones in January 1963 and played on all 30 of their studio albums. Earlier this month, the Stones announced Watts would be sitting out their upcoming United States tour citing an undisclosed medical issue. Up until then, he hadn’t missed a single performance since joining the band.

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Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock news blogger who's well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights

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